Safety fastener



Juhe 24, 1941;

R. F. 'HAGGERTY SAFETY FASTENER Filed May 22, 1940 I l7 18 M lT'LVE 1-1.1; CI 1" x F\' 'b h Fl H 1;

@- yuw 3523 Patented June 24, 1941 STATE-S PATENT OFFME (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 4 Claims.

Ihe invention described herein may be manufactored and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The subject of this invention is a safety fastener.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a fastenerof the sliding guard and pin type which will possess characteristics that are particularly desirable for severe usage such as is found in the military service in connection with bandoliers, restraining members and bandages. The fastener of this invention has a simple and inexpensive provision whereby the pin, after being closed, may be locked so that it cannot be opened except through a deliberately prescribed operation.-

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodimerit as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation and partly in section of the improved fastener;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views on the corresponding lines of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a modification;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5;

Figs. '7 to are detail views of alternate forms of spring arrangement.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing by characters of reference the fastener comprises a pin A and a clasp guard B. The pin consists of a rear member 5 and a front member 6 connected by a conventional spring loop I.

The rear member, which is of less length is provided on its extremity with a laterally projecting lug or catch 8 while the front member has a pointed extremity 9 for penetrating material.

The guard comprises a U-shaped member whose front arm Ill includes a socket portion H and an extremity formed into an open lip I2 which serves to receive the pointed end of the front member 6 in a conventional manner. The rear arm iii of the guard includes the usual defleeting prong M which extends into the opening of the lip.

The arm i3 is formed with an enlarged portion It) which is preferably cylindrical and merges with a flattened or oblong tubular portion l6 that is constricted as at ll to terminate in a bearing it for slidably mounting the rear member 5 of the pin. A spring latch l 9 punched from the ma- Fig. 1.

' pin and guard together.

terial of the rear arm of the guard and having its integral end directed towards the bearing, extends into the cylindrical portion whereby it is adapted to engage the catch 8 when the pin a is in locked position as shown in full lines in A stop it formed by indenting or crimping the material of the arm l3 and/or a stop 2| formed as a shoulder on the prong Hi are provided to limit the inward movement of the pin A to its locking position.

With the fastener looked as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the unlocking operation consists in twisting or rotating the rear member 5 of the pin to disengage the catch 8 from the latch is, and then relatively separating the pin A and guard B until the catch has cleared the latch. With the catch still in the chamber of the enlarged or cylindrical portion it the force exerted to twist the rear member 5 is removed so that the catch returns to its normal angular position preparatory to entering the narrow chamber of the oblong portion IS. The merging portion l5a will act as a cam to more or less automatically remove the pressure exerted by an operator. The withdrawal movement of the pin A is arrested by engagement of the catch 8 with the constricted portion ll. In this unlocked position the pointed extremity 9 has been withdrawn from the socket portion I I and is disposed in the open lip l2 where it may be opened and closed in the conventional manner.

When the pin is in the closed but unlocked position it may be readily locked by moving the During closing of the pin and also during this sliding movement the oblong portion It serves as a guide to prevent rotational displacement of the pin A. The side walls of the portion Iii preferably bind the memher 5 sufiiciently to normally hold it in the unlocked position until force is exerted to slide the parts to locked position. The catch 8 in leaving the oblong portion strikes the spring latch l9, elevates it and then is engaged by it.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and B the rear arm of the guard is. provided with a cylindrical portion 22 having opposite indentations to provid a pair of restraining surfaces 23 to laterally confine the catch 24 when held in locked position by the latch 25. In order to unlock the pin 26 it is now necessary to move it further into the guard to clear the surfaces before it can be twisted to disengaged position with respect to the latch.

In Fig. '7 the tubular rear arm 21 of the guard is provided with an aperture 28 for receiving the catch 29 and holding it against retraction and against rotation. This relation may be maintained by an integral spring 30 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 or by a spring 3| formed as an element of the arm 21w as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. The catch 29 is formed with an inclined face 32 to provide for its disengagement from the aperture when the catch is advanced into the arm 2'1. With the catch disengaged the pin 33 is twisted as previously described so that the catch will clear the aperture when the pin is withdrawn or retracted. The tubular arm 21 is formed with an elongated bearing 3-3 for the pin 33 to afford a close sliding fit and avoid such looseness as might permit accidental displacement of th catch.

I claim:

1. A fastener including a pin and a guard, the pin comprising spring connected front and rear members, the rear member having a catch, the guard comprising a front and rear arm, the rear arm having an oblong chambered portion for slidably and non-rotatably receiving the catch portion of the rear pin member and having an enlarged chambered portion for slidably and rotatably receiving said catch portion of the pin member, a latch carried by th rear arm and engageable with the catch within the enlarged chambered portion of the arm, said catch disengageable from the latch by axial rotation of th rear pin member, means on the rear arm for limiting movement of the rear pin member, the front arm of the guard having a lip for the front pin member and a socket for slidably receiving said front pin member.

2. A fastener including a pin and a guard, the pin comprising spring connected front and rear members, the rear member having a catch, the guard comprising a front and a rear arm, the front arm having means for clasping the front pin member, the rear arm having a chambered portion slidably and non-rotatably receiving the rear pin member and a chambered portion slidably and rotatably receiving said rear pin member, and a latch carried by the rear arm for engaging the catch in said last named portion of the rear arm, said catch disengageable from the latch by axial rotation of the rear pin member.

3. A fastener including a pin and a guard, the pin comprising spring connected front and rear members, the rear member having a catch, the guard comprising a front arm and a rear arm, the front arm having means for clasping the front pin member, the rear arm slidably and rotatably mounting the rear pin member and having locking means for engaging behind the catch in one angular position of said catch, and means on the rear arm for restraining the catch against angular displacement when the catch is engaged by the locking means.

4. A fastener including a pin and a guard, the pin comprising spring connected front and rear members, the rear member having a catch. the guard comprising a front arm and a rear arm, the front arm having means for clasping the front pin member, the rear arm slidably and rotatably mounting the rear pin member and having locking means for engaging behind the catch in one angular position of said catch.

ROBERT F. HAGGER'I'Y. 

